Retailers to face steeper recycling fees
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 - 09:08:49
Many businesses in the retail sector will be responsible for contributing more towards covering the costs associated with collecting and processing the recyclable waste they produce, according to the Guardian.
This comes as a result of new government plans to revamp and improve the approach to packaging that is embraced across the UK, making it more sustainable and tackling a lot of the current problems which dog this industry.
Each year a total of 11 million tonnes of packaging waste is produced nationally, but politicians and campaigners argue that the companies which create this detritus are not currently doing enough to pay for the way it is dealt with.
The intended measures will not just hit retailers, but will also impact drinks brands which sell their products in packaging which subsequently needs to be recycled.
The upshot is that some organisations could end up shelling out as much as £1 billion a year in order to pay their way, which represents more than a tenfold increase on current average contributions.
Ministers are also eager to make sure that more businesses are contributing to the recycling efforts relating to packaging, expanding the focus from the largest retailers to also include smaller outlets across the country.
Even with the impending arrival of Brexit, the UK’s commitment to the EU-wide move towards a circular economy will still end up forming an important part of domestic law going forwards. This means that there is no way for retailers to wriggle out of being hit with heftier fees related to waste collection and management.
Further efforts to recycle more of the plastic packaging that is thrown out in the UK without having to ship it overseas to achieve this will also be made, with consumers likely to face higher prices on products as a means of offsetting this.
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